By Kalwinder KaurSep 10 2012
PartTec has licensed a neutron detector that has been created to foster studies based on drug discovery, materials technology and life science. The technology developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been promoted to the commercial markets by this radiation detection technologies manufacturer at Indiana.
Researchers can effectively adopt the Neutron-Sensitive Anger Camera to analyze a wide range of crystalline structures and for carrying out major researches in materials science, biology, geology, earth science, and condensed matter physics.
According to Yacouba Diawara of ORNL, focused on DOE's Spallation Neutron Source, this ORNL detector system resolves the time and position of the neutrons being captured, wherein highly accurate neutron time-of-flight measurements can be achieved.
The detector features high timing and position resolution, increased efficiency, and low background noise, all economically packed within a single design that supports biological, medical, and general scientific research.
The ORNL research team honed an existing technology ‘Anger Camera’ which got its name from its inventor, Hal Oscar Anger. The upgrade included improvement in the detector's capability to view the atomic structure of crystals, like those having protein macromolecules.
Determination of crystals lesser than 2 mm remained complex with earlier neutron detectors, while ORNL's new system can now clearly and effectively detect 1-mm and smaller crystals. This capability supports small crystals in addition to biological crystals that experience extremely high pressures using Spallation Neutron and Pressure Diffractometer, an instrument at SNS.
PartTec CEO Herschel Workman foresees the effect of this technology on a wide range of scientific fields. Advancements and innovations in biological research may impact the development of novel drugs for several diseases.
Source: http://www.ornl.gov/
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